Low pressure liquid vaporizer which is electrically heated



Jun-e v29, 1965' Q-ABIKOOGAWA ETAL 3,192,167

' Filed Sept. 20, 1962 I LOW PRESSURE LIQUID VAPORIZER WHICH IS ELECTRICALLY HEATED 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 1965 ABIKO OGAWA ETAL 3,192,167

LOW PRESSURE LIQUID VAPORIZER WHICH IS ELECTRICALLY HEATED Filed Sept. 20. 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,192,167 LOW PRESSURE LIQUID VAPORIZER WHICH IS ELECTRICALLY HEATED Abiko Ogawa, 24 S-chome, Tarnagawa-Todoroki-cho, Setagaya-ku, and Yasuro Kuratomi, 958 4-chorne, Kashiwagi, Shinjuku-ku, both of Tokyo, Japan Filed Sept. 20, 1962, Ser. No. 224,948 10 Claims. (Cl. 252359) This invention relates to liquid vaporizer devices of electrically heating type under low pressure.

Devices of the contemplated kind operate to divide the liquid into particles and the vaporize the particles to discharge an atomized liquid. Such devices can be used for painting, for discharging perfumes, disinfectants, incense and the like and for other operations where a vaporized liquid is desired. The contemplated devices include a fan for discharging the vaporized product.

An object of the present invention is to provide a device of high efficiency for evaporating and vaporizing a liquid.

It is a feature of the invention to utilize a heater and a fan in which the latter acts to discharge vaporized liquid while not cooling the heater.

In devices of the type in which air current is utilized to discharge vaporized liquid, the air current passes through the heated parts which effect the vaporizing, thereby tending to cool the same. This is especially true when the velocity of discharge of the output is high,

causing excessive cooling and'imperfect vaporization. In

such cases, effective dispersing of insecticides and the like is not obtained, by virtue of the liquid included in the discharged product. Moreover, in the case of perfumes and other odorous products, the heavy concentration of the liquid is undesirable, since the odor is localized and remains for long periods of times in local areas.

According to the present invention air currents developed by a fan are caused to pass in a zone outside the heater while effectively still drawing vaporized liquid therefrom.

The accompanying drawings illustrate three embodiments of the present invention, in which:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view partially in section of eletrically vaporizing means shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of another embodiment of the invention, and

FIG. 4 is a longitudinally sectional view of a still further embodiment of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings, 1 is a casing having an open end 1', 2 is an electric motor supported in the casing 1, and 3 is a fan mounted on a driving shaft 4 of the motor 2. A supply tube 5 communicates with an attachable and unfastenable liquid container 6 for supplying liquid into a mixing cup 7 secured on the shaft 4 at an end thereof my means of a nut 8. By the side of a circular flange 7' of the cup 7, there is attached a vessel-like rotor 9 with an opening 10 to permit accommodation of both the supply tube 5 and the shaft 4. Between the flange 7 and the rotor 9 there is provided by means of spacers 12, a narrow gap 11 for the passage of liquid. Accordingly, when the motor rotates and liquid is supplied through the supply tube 5, liquid flows into the rotating cup 7, where it is mixed, after which the liquid flows from the inner face of the rotor 9 through the narrow gap 11. Flowing liquid is extended as a thick membrane along the inner face of the rotor 9 rotating at high speed, and then liquid is discharged radially as minute particles in atomized form from the 3,192,157 Patented June 29, 1965 outer circumference of the rotor 9 due to the action of centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the same. The rotor 9 is provided with saw-tooth cuts U as shown in FIG. 1 or with inclined slits S as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Liquid is discharged from the rotor along a Width equal to the height H of the edge of the rotor in FIG. 1 or the length L of the slit S in the rotor of FIG. 3, due to the action of the centrifugal force.

13 is a casing encircling a circular heater 14, which comprises a housing 15, a heat resistant board 16 on which is wound Nichrome wire 17. The wire 17 is adapted for connection to an AC. electrical source. The heater 14 is concentrically arranged around the rotor 9 and between the heater 14 and in the casing 13 there is provided heat resistant material 18. 19 are air intakes necessary for the quantity of air to be discharged by the fan 3. 20 is an obstacle to block countercurrent flow of air discharged by the fan 3. The obstacle 20 has an air opening 21 of suitable size in the center thereof and the outer circumference of the obstacle is supported from the inner wall of the casing 1. 22 is an on-oif switch for the electric circuit.

FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the invention, in which the rotor 9 is provided with the slits S through its circular wall and the intakes 19 are located between the obstacle 20 and the rotor 9. It will be appreciated that in this device liquid is discharged from the rotor 9 through the slits S against the heater 14.

FIG. 4 shows a further embodiment of the invention, in which the vaporizing means is located near the opening 1 in the casing 1. The fan 3 in this embodiment is located near an air intake 19 at the other end of the casing. The obstacle 20 may be omitted; however, a guide wall 23 to guide air to the outer circumference of the heater is necessary.

The operation of the device according to the invention is as follows: the supply liquid is gradually fed through the supply tube 5' to cup 7. The heater 14 is heated and the electric motor 2 is driven to cause liquid to flow from the cup 7 in a mixed state into the rotor 9 through the gap 11, whereby liquid is extended as a thick membrane along the inner face of the rotor 9. The liquid is next discharge in atomized form from the edge of the rotor 9 through the saw-cuts U or from the slits S. These minute liquid particles are forced against the inner face of the heater 14 by the action of the centrifugal force, so that liquid is effectively vaporized. The vaporized liquid fills the casing 13 encircling the heater 15 in the embodiments in FIGS. 1 and 3, while in FIG. 4 the vaporized liquid fills the zone A.

The fan 3 which is rotated at high speed by means of the electric motor 2 draws air into the casing 1 through intakes 19 and then through the opening 21 of the obstacle 20 for discharge at 1', due to the vacuum action caused by the fan in the embodiments in FIGS. 1 and 3. In FIG. 4 the fan 3 causes the air to be discharged forwardly from the casing 1, the fan 3 drawing air through the intake 19. The air which is drawn into the casing 1 is urged in a radial direction, due to the action of the fan 3, so that the vaporized liquid in zone A is carried out by the suction effect. Thus the vaporizing parts are always kept under low pressure so that the minute particles of the liquid which are discharged from the rotor 9 contact the heater 14 and are vaporized with relatively little heat. Moreover, in the invention there is no fear of cooling the heater 14 by flowing air, and the liquid is continuously vaporized and discharged in great quantities.

What is claimed is:

1. A liquid vaporizer comprising a substantially cylindrical horizontal casing, liquid supply means supported on said casing, atomizing means within said casing operatively coupled to the liquid supply means for atomizing particles of liquid and directing the particles radially outwards by centrifugal force along a circumferential path within said casing, heater means within said casing surrounding the atomizing means for receiving the divided atomized particles to vaporize the same, a motor supported within said casing and coupled to the atomizing means to drive the same, said casing being provided with an air inlet and an air outlet, said casing having opposite ends at one of whichsaid air outlet is located, and means in said casing driven by said motor for drawing air into the casing through said inlet for entraining vaporized particles in the ar and discharging the air together with said particles through said outlet, said air inlet being axially spaced from the outlet such that axial flow of air through the casing is obtained, said axialflow of air being isolated from the heating means to minimize heat exchange therewith while creating a suction within the casing to draw atomized particles therewith through the outlet.

2. A vaporizer as claimed in claim 1, wherein said air inlet is located between the heater means and the outlet, to cause the axial flow of air to be spaced from the heater means.

3. A vaporizer as claimed in claim 1, wherein said inlet is at the other of the ends of the casing such that the axial flow of air extends the length of the casing, the vaporizer further comprising an annular guide wall in the casing and defining therewith a passageway for the flow of air, said guide wall encircling the heater means to constrain the flow of air through said passageway to minimize heat exchange with the heater means.

4. A vaporizer as claimed in claim 3, wherein said motor is located adjacent the air inlet while the heater means and atomizing means are located adjacent the air outlet, said guide wall extending from the motor towards the air outlet and encircling the heater means while terminating at a location beyond the heater means and adjacent the air outlet.

5. A vaporizer as claimed in claim 1, wherein said atomizing means comprises a rotor driven by said motor and having an outer circumferential surface, and a mixing up adapted for being supplied with liquid from the liquid supply and provided with an opening for discharging liquid to the rotor.

6. A vaporizer as claimed in claim 4, wherein said motor includes a driveshatt driving said rotor, said mixing cup being connected to said driveshaft for being driven thereby whereby liquid in the cup is mixed prior to discharge therefrom.

7. A vaporizer as claimed in claim 5, wherein said mixing cup is secured to said rotor with a gap therebetween through which gap liquid is fed to the rotor from the mixing cup.

8. A vaporizer as claimed in claim 4, wherein the circumferential surface of the rotor is provided with sawtooth cuts which are effective to divide the liquid into part1c.es.

9. A vaporizer as claimed in claim 4, wherein the circumferential surface of the rotor is provided with slits which are efiective to divided the liquid into particles.

10. A vaporizer as claimed in claim 4, wherein said' heater means comprises an electric heater, a housing for said heater, said heater including an insulating board and conductive wire wound on said board, the board and surrounding housing extending concentrically around the rotor.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 864,742 8/07 Jirotka 239223 1,742,478 1/30 MacLach lan 239214 1,953,794 4/34 Zummach 219-39.12 2,313,976 3/43 Sullivan et al. 43l29 2,607,574 8/52 Hession 239-224 2,732,255 1/56 Adan 239--133 2,860,228 11/58 Boyle et al 2'l939.l2 3,034,726 5/62 Peras 239-433 FOREIGN PATENTS 294,460 7/28 Great Britain.

75,077 11/52 Denmark.

EVERETT W. KIRBY, Primary Examiner.

EDWARD J. MICHAEL, Examiner, 

1. A LIQUID VAPORIZER COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL HORIZONTAL CASING, LIQUID SUPPLY MEANS SUPPORTED ON SAID CASING, ATOMIZING MEANS WITHIN SAID CASING OPERATIVELY COUPLED TO THE LIQUID SUPPLY MEANS FOR ATOMIZING PARTICLES OF LIQUID AND DIRECTING THE PARTICLES RADIALLY OUTWARDS BY CENTRIFUGAL FORCE ALONG A CIRCUMFERENTIAL PATH WITHIN SAID CASING, HEATER MEANS WITHIN SAID CASING SURROUNDING THE ATOMIZING MEANS FOR RECEIVING THE DIVIDED ATOMIZED PARTICLES TO VAPORIZE THE SAME, A MOTOR SUPPORTED WITHIN SAID CASING AND COUPLED TO THE ATOMIZING MEANS TO DRIVE THE SAME, SAID CASING BEING PROVIDED WITH AN AIR INLET AND AN AIR OUTLET, SAID CASING HAVING OPPOSITE ENDS AT ONE OF WHICH SAID AIR OUTLET IS LOCATED, AND MEANS IN SAID CASING DRIVEN BY SAID MOTOR FOR DRAWING AIR INTO THE CASING THROUGH SAID INLET FOR ENTRAINING VAPORIZED PARTICLES IN THE AR AND DISCHARGING THE AIR TOGETHER WITH SAID PARTICLES THORUGH SAID OUTLET, SAID AIR INLET BEING AXIALLY SPACED FROM THE OUTLET SUCH THAT AXIAL FLOW OF AIR THROUGH THE CASING IS OBTAINED, SAID AXIAL FLOW OF AIR BEING ISOLATED FROM THE HEATING MEANS TO MINIMIZE HEAT EXCHANGE THEREWITH WHILE CREATING A SUCTION WITHIN THE CASING TO DRAW ATOMIZED THEREWITH THROUGH THE OUTLET. 